Wireless drop in a fiber-to-the-home network

ABSTRACT

One embodiment is directed to a wireless drop terminal (WDT) for use in a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network. The wireless drop terminal comprises a fiber interface to optically couple the wireless drop terminal to an optical line terminal (OLT) of the FTTH network via at least one optical fiber and a wireless interface communicatively coupled to the fiber interface. The wireless interface is configured to wirelessly communicate with a wireless optical network terminal (W-ONT) over a directional wireless drop. Other embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation Application that claims priority to,and the benefit of, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/116,541 titled“WIRELESS DROP IN A FIBER-TO-THE-HOME NETWORK” filed on Aug. 29, 2018,which is a Continuation Application that claims priority to, and thebenefit of, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/394,615 titled “WIRELESSDROP IN A FIBER-TO-THE-HOME NETWORK” filed on Oct. 15, 2014, which was a371 National Stage Application that claims priority to InternationalPatent Application No. PCT/EP2013/058145 filed on Apr. 19, 2013, whichclaims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/636,395 filed onApr. 20, 2012, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network architectures are a class of broadbandnetwork architectures in which optical fiber is used as thecommunication media all the way to each customer's home. By usingoptical fiber as the communication media all the way to each customer'shome, FTTH networks can be used to provide such home customers withbroadband bandwidth levels associated with fiber optic communication.

The fiber optic cable that terminates at each customer's home isreferred to here as the “fiber drop.” Installation of each fiber droptypically requires physical access to the customer's home andsurrounding area in order to dig up the customer's yard and/orsurrounding area for burying the fiber drop cable. Physical access tothe customer's home is also required to terminate the fiber drop at thecustomer's home. As a consequence, installing fiber drops, can accountfor up to thirty percent of the capital expense of deploying a FTTHnetwork and can delay the deployment of a FTTH network.

Third generation (3G) or fourth generation (4G) cellular networktechnology can be used to provide broadband bandwidth to customer endnodes in a wireless manner.

However, the majority of customer end nodes in cellular networks aremobile. As a result, cellular networks (including 3G or 4G cellularnetworks) are designed to support the mobility of the customer endnodes, which can reduce the amount of broadband bandwidth that can beprovided using such 3G or 4G technology. Moreover, typically cellularnetworks use omni-directional antennas or large angle (90° and 120°)sector antennas and point-to-multipoint wireless communication links,which may need increased power levels and reduce the amount of frequencyreuse that can be achieved.

Within a customer's premises, it is common to implement a wireless localarea network using wireless communication technology that implements oneor more of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)802.11 family of wireless standards. That is, such wirelesscommunication technology is implemented on the customer side of thedemarcation point that separates the telecommunication serviceprovider's equipment and the customer's equipment (also referred to as“customer premises equipment” or “CPE”). Moreover, such wireless localarea networks (WLANs) are implemented using unlicensed radio frequencyspectrum.

SUMMARY

One embodiment is directed to a wireless drop terminal for use in afiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network. The wireless drop terminal comprises afiber interface to optically couple the wireless drop terminal to anoptical line terminal of the FTTH network via at least one optical fiberand a wireless interface communicatively coupled to the fiber interface.The wireless interface is configured to wirelessly communicate with awireless optical network terminal (W-ONT) over a fixed directionalwireless drop.

Another embodiment is directed to a wireless optical network terminal(W-ONT) for use in a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network. The W-ONTcomprises a wireless interface and at least one service interface toimplement a service provided to a customer of the FTTH network. Thewireless interface is configured to wirelessly communicate with awireless drop terminal included in the FTTH network over a fixeddirectional wireless drop.

Another embodiment is directed to a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networkcomprises an optical line terminal (OLT) to couple the FTTH network to acore network, a wireless drop terminal that is optically coupled to theOLT via at least one optical fiber, and a wireless optical networkterminal (W-ONT) to provide a service to customer premises equipment.The wireless drop terminal and the W-ONT are configured to wirelesslycommunicate with one another over a fixed directional wireless dropusing the first and the second antennas.

Other embodiments are disclosed.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one example of a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH)network that makes use of wireless drops.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one example of a wireless drop terminalsuitable for use in the FTTH network shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of one example of a wireless optical networkterminal (W-ONT) suitable for use in the FTTH network shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of one example of a method of communicatingdata from an OLT to a customer home using the FTTH network shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of one example of a method of communicatingdata from a customer home to an OLT using the FTTH network shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of another example of an FTTH network thatmakes use of wireless drops.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of one example of an ETHERNET passive opticalnetwork (EPON) FTTH network that makes use of wireless drops.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of another example of an FTTH network thatmakes use of wireless drops.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of another example of an FTTH network thatmakes use of wireless drops.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of one example of a wireless drop terminalsuitable for use in the FTTH network shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of one example of a wireless optical networkterminal (W-ONT) suitable for use in the FTTH network shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of another example of an FTTH network thatmakes use of wireless drops.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of another example of an FTTH network thatmakes use of wireless drops and uses a radio-over-fiber (RoF)architecture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one example of a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH)network 100 that makes use of wireless drops 102.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the FTTH network 100 is configured tocommunicatively couple an optical line terminal (OLT) 104 located in thecentral office (or other point of presence) 106 of a telecommunicationservice provider to a respective wireless optical network terminal(W-ONT) 108 (also referred to as a wireless optical network unit(W-ONU)) 108 located at each customer's home 110.

Each OLT 104 serves as an interface and multiplexer between the serviceprovider's core network 112 and the FTTH network 100. The serviceprovider's core network 112 can, for example, include or becommunicatively coupled to the Internet (not shown), a public switchedtelephone network (PSTN) (not shown), and/or a video network (notshown). The service provider's core network 112 can include othernetworks.

Each W-ONT 108 terminates the wireless drop 102 and presents the serviceinterfaces to the customer's equipment (CPE) 114. That is, in thisembodiment, each W-ONT 108 is a part of the telecommunication serviceprovider's network and defines the demarcation point between thetelecommunication service provider's network and equipment and thecustomer premise equipment. The services provided via the serviceinterfaces of each W-ONT 108 can include telephony (for example, plainold telephone service (POTS) or voice over IP (VOIP)), data (forexample, ETHERNET or V.35), wireless local area network (for example,one or more of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers(IEEE) 802.11 family of standards, including IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)service, and/or video. One example of a W-ONT 108 suitable for use withthe FTTH network 100 is described below in connection with FIG. 3.

The example FTTH network 100 shown in FIG. 1 is described here as beingimplemented as a point-to-multipoint passive optical network, though itis to be understood that the wireless drops 102 described here can alsobe used in other types of FTTH networks (for example, active opticalFTTH networks or other types of passive optical FTTH networks).

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the FTTH network 100 includes a feedersection 116 (also referred to here as the “F1 section 116”), adistribution section 118 (also referred to here as the “F2 section 118”)and a drop section 120 (also referred to here as the “F3 section 120”).The F1 section 116 of the FTTH network 100 is closest to the centraloffice 106, the F3 section 120 is closest to the customers' homes 110,and the F2 section 118 couples the F1 section 116 and the F3 section 120to one another.

Feeder optical fibers 122 (also referred to here as “F1 fibers 122”) areused in the F1 section 116, and distribution optical fibers 124 (alsoreferred to here as “F2 fibers 124”) are used in the F2 section 118.Unlike with conventional FTTH networks, wireless drops 102 are used inthe F3 section 120 of the network 100.

Optical signals are communicated between the OLTs 104 in the centraloffice 106 and wireless drop terminals (WDT) 126 in the F3 section 120.In the example shown in FIG. 1, each optical signal transmitted from anOLT 104 to a wireless drop terminal 126 travels from the OLT 104 to arespective passive optical splitter 128 (for example, a 1-to-8 passiveoptical splitter, a 1-to-16 passive optical splitter, or a 1-to-32passive optical splitter). Each passive optical splitter 128 “splits”the incoming F1 fiber 122 into a number of F2 fibers 124.

In this example, payload data for the various services provided to thecustomer are combined together and used to generate frames of datasuitable for communication over the fiber part of the FTTH network 100.These frames are also referred to here as “optical frames”. Suitableoptical protocols and technology can be used for formatting the opticalframes and communicating the frames over the FTTH network 100 to thewireless drop terminals 126 (such as Gigabit-capable Passive OpticalNetwork (GPON) protocols and technology as described ITU-T G.984 seriesRecommendations, Ten-Gigabit-capable Passive Optical Network (XGPON)protocols and technology as described in ITU-T G.987 seriesRecommendations, and/or GIGABIT ETHERNET protocols and technology).

Moreover, in the example shown in FIG. 1, multiple optical wavelengthsare multiplexed together for communication in both the downstream andupstream directions using wavelength division multiplexing. Other typesof multiplexing can also be used (instead of or in addition towavelength division multiplexing). As used here, the “downstream”direction refers to the direction from the OLTs 104 to the customers'homes 110, and the “upstream” direction refers to the direction from thecustomers' homes 110 to the OLTs 104.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, in the downstream direction, eachpassive optical splitter 128 outputs each of the multiple downstreamoptical signals received on the corresponding F1 fiber 122 onto one ofthe F2 fibers 124. In this example, in the upstream direction, eachpassive optical splitter 128 outputs each of the optical signalsreceived on the various F2 fibers 124 out onto the corresponding F1fiber 122.

The passive optical splitters 128 can be deployed in various ways. Forexample, the passive optical splitters 128 can be deployed in fiberdistribution hubs (FDH) that are configured for convenient patching orsplicing of the fibers 122 and 124 to the passive optical splitters 128.The passive optical splitters 128 can be deployed in other ways.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, each F2 fiber 124 is terminated at theother end at a respective wireless drop terminal 126.

The F1 fibers 122 can be deployed using main or trunk cables that bundletogether multiple F1 fibers 122 and branch cables that branch one ormore individual F1 fibers 122 off from the F1 main or trunk cables atvarious break out locations in the F1 section 116 of the network 100(for example, to couple individual F1 fibers 122 to passive opticalsplitters 128). Likewise, the F2 fibers 124 can be deployed using mainor trunk cables that bundle together multiple F2 fibers 124 and branchcables that branch one or more individual F2 fibers 124 off from the F2main or trunk cables at various break out locations in the F2 section118 of the network 100 (for example, to couple individual F2 fibers topassive optical splitters 128 or to the wireless drop terminals 126).The F1 fibers 122 and F2 fibers 124 can be deployed in other ways.

As noted above, unlike with conventional FTTH networks, the FTTH network100 shown in FIG. 1 uses a wireless drop 102 to a provide a wirelesscommunication link between the W-ONT 108 in each customer's home 110 andone of the wireless drop terminals 126.

In this example, the optical frames communicated over the fiber parts ofthe FTTH network 100 are encapsulated in frames of data suitable forcommunication over the wireless drops 102. These frames are alsoreferred to here as “wireless frames”. Each wireless drop terminal 126and W-ONT 108 handles the encapsulation of optical frames into wirelessframes and the extraction of optical frames over the wireless frames.

It should be noted that encapsulating the optical frames in wirelessframes is only one example of how the payload service data included inthe optical frames can be communicated in wireless frames over thewireless drops 102. One of skill in the art will recognize that this canbe done in other ways. For example, the payload service data included ineach optical frame can be extracted from the optical frame, and only theextracted payload service data (not the entire original optical frame)can be inserted into a wireless frame and communicated over the wirelessdrop 102. At the receiving end, the payload service data can beextracted from the received wireless frame, and the extracted payloadservice data can be inserted into a newly generated optical frame thatis used at the end of the wireless drop 102 or used to provide therelevant services.

Each wireless drop 102 is implemented as a fixed directional wirelesslink between the W-ONT 108 and the wireless drop terminal 126 usinghigh-bandwidth wireless technology. Each such wireless drop 102 is alsoreferred to here as a “fixed directional wireless drop” 102. As usedherein, a fixed directional wireless link refers to a wireless link thatis implemented between two fixed (that is, non-mobile) nodes, where thewireless interface and/or antenna used be at least one of the nodes isconfigured to function more effectively in one direction than it does inothers directions. In this case, the nodes for the fixed directionalwireless drop are the wireless drop terminal 126 and the W-ONT 108,which are non-mobile (fixed) nodes. Also, in this case, at least one ofthe wireless drop terminal 126 and the W-ONT 108 (or the antennas usedtherewith) are configured to more effectively function in the directionbetween the wireless drop terminal 126 and the W-ONT 108.

As shown in FIG. 1, each wireless drop terminal 126 can be configured tocommunicate on a point-to-point basis with each W-ONT 108 it services.That is, for each W-ONT 108 it services, the wireless drop terminal 126includes a separate wireless interface and separate directional antenna132 that are dedicated for communicating with that W-ONT 108 over arespective wireless drop 102. Likewise, each such W-ONT 108 alsoincludes a wireless interface and a directional antenna 134 that areused for wirelessly communicating with that wireless drop terminal 126.In other words, in this example, for each wireless drop 102, both thecorresponding wireless drop terminal 126 and W-ONT 108 are configured tocommunicate more effectively in the direction between those two nodes.

It is to be understood, however, that fixed directional wireless drops102 can be implemented in other ways.

Each wireless drop terminal 126 can be configured to communicate on apoint-to-multipoint basis with each W-ONT 108 it services using a fixeddirectional wireless drop. That is, each wireless drop terminal 126services two or more W-ONTs 108 using the same wireless interface andsame antenna. In such an example, at least the W-ONT is configured tocommunicate more effectively in the direction between that W-ONT and thewireless drop terminal. One such example is described below inconnection with FIG. 8.

Also, each wireless drop terminal and/or each W-ONT can include multipleantennas for communicating over the corresponding fixed directionalwireless drop. For example, both the wireless drop terminal and W-ONTcan use multiple antennas to communicate over the corresponding fixeddirectional wireless drop using Multiple-Input, Multiple Output (MIMO)wireless communication technology (for example, one of the WiMAX orother IEEE 802.16 standards that use MIMO technology or one of the WiFior other IEEE 802.11 standards (such as the IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11ac,or IEEE 802.11ad standards)). One such example is described below inconnection with FIGS. 9-11.

Also, beam forming techniques can be used. For example, beam formingtechniques can be used in a MIMO configuration (such as is describedbelow in connection with FIGS. 9-11). Also, beam forming can be used inother configurations where the wireless drop terminal includes multipleantennas or antenna elements and each W-ONT it communicates withincludes a single antenna to communicate with the wireless dropterminal, where the wireless drop terminal uses beam forming tocommunicate with each such W-ONT. One such example is described below inconnection with FIGS. 12-14. Likewise, beam forming can be used in otherconfigurations where the W-ONT includes multiple antennas or antennaelements and the wireless drop terminal it communicates with includes asingle antenna to communicate with the W-ONT, where the W-ONT uses beamforming to communicate with the wireless drop terminal.

Each wireless communication link can be implemented using wirelesstransceivers that implement one or more third generation (3G) or fourthgeneration (4G) cellular protocols such as the High Speed Packet Access(HSPA), Evolved HSPA (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and LTEAdvanced (LTEadvanced) cellular protocols. Although 3G and 4G cellularprotocols have typically been used for multi-directional broadcast,mobile wireless communications, such cellular protocols and relatedtechnology are used in the network 100, instead, to implement fixed,directional wireless links (and, in some embodiments, point-to-pointlinks). Each wireless drop 102 can also be implemented using otherhigh-bandwidth wireless technology such as WIMAX (or other IEEE 802.16)wireless metropolitan area network technology, one of the IEEE 802.11family (for example, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ad) of wireless local areanetwork technologies, as well as wireless technology that make use ofWirelessHD, Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI), ultra wideband(UWB), visible light communication, and proprietary point-to-pointtechnology, standards, and protocols.

In some implementations, licensed radio frequency spectrum is used (forexample, licensed radio frequency spectrum used for either cellular (orother mobile) networks or fixed networks). In other implementations,unlicensed radio frequency spectrum is used. Also, MIMO technology andbeam forming can be used (for example, as implemented in one or more ofthe WIMAX or other IEEE 802.16 standards or one of the IEEE 802.11family of wireless local area network standards).

The wireless drop terminal 126 can be configured to control the amountof bandwidth provided to the customer over the wireless drop 102. Thiscan be used by the service provider to charge different rates fordifferent amounts of bandwidth, which can improve the service provider'sprofits and/or provide customers with more tailored service offerings.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, each wireless drop terminal126 includes at least one separate directional antenna 132 for eachW-ONT 108 that the wireless drop terminal 126 communicates with. Also,each W-ONT 108 includes or is connected to at least one directionalantenna 134. Because each wireless drop 102 is implemented as a fixed,point-to-point wireless link, directional antennas can be used toimprove the reliability of the wireless communication link, lowertransmission power, and/or promote geographical spectral reuseefficiency.

Each W-ONT 108 wirelessly sends and receives payload data for thevarious services provided to the customer using the wireless drop 102.In the downstream direction, each W-ONT 108 extracts the payload datafor each of the services provided to the customer and presents that datato the customer premise equipment 114 on one or more service interfacessuitable for that service. In the upstream direction, each W-ONT 108receives payload data for the services provided to the customer andmultiplexes the data together for communication over the wireless drop102 and FTTH network 100 to the service provider's core network 112.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the WDTs 126 and W-ONTs 108 are managedby a management system 130. In this example, the management system 130is coupled to the OLT 104 and sends and receives management data to andfrom the WDTs 126 and W-ONTs 108 using the FTTH network 100 (forexample, using the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)). Themanagement system 130 that is used to manage the WDTs 126 and W-ONTs 108can be the same management system that is used to manage other elementsin the FTTH network 100 or can be separate from the management systemthat is used to manage other elements in the FTTH network 100. The WDTs126 and W-ONTs 108 can be managed in other ways. For example, the samemanagement system 130 need not be used to manage both the WDTs 126 andthe W-ONTs 108; instead, separate management systems can be used. Also,other management protocols can be used.

By using a wireless drop 102 to a provide a communication link betweenthe W-ONT 108 in each customer's home 110 and one of the wireless dropterminals 126, the cost and delay that may arise with installing a fiberdrop to provide connectivity to the customer's home may be avoided.

The use of wireless drops 102 can be used as a temporary measure as apart of a larger FTTH roll-out program. For example, where there are notsufficient customers using FTTH service in a given neighborhood to makeit economical to deploy a crew to install fiber drops in thatneighborhood, wireless drops 102 can be used until there are sufficientcustomers. When there are sufficient customers, the wireless dropterminals 126 and W-ONTs 108 can be replaced with conventional passiveoptical network fiber drop terminals and optical node terminals and acrew can be deployed to install fiber drops between them.

Also, the use of wireless drops 102 can be used as a more permanentmeasure. For example, where a state, city, or other municipality orregulator agency does not permit the telecommunication service providerto install fiber drops to certain customer homes, wireless drops 102 canbe used on a permanent basis to provide the drop to the customer homes.Furthermore, the use of wireless drops 102 can be used where customersdo not wish for fiber to be installed on their premises.

Moreover, in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, wireless drops102 are used to provide service to all customer homes 110. It is to beunderstood that this need not be the case. That is, in some embodiments,conventional fiber drops can be used to provide service to some customerhomes while wireless drops can be used to provide service to othercustomer homes. It is also possible to provide service to a customerhome using both a fiber drop and a wireless drop.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one example of a wireless drop terminal 126suitable for use in the FTTH network 100 shown in FIG. 1. Although theexample wireless drop terminal 126 shown in FIG. 2 is described here asbeing implemented for use in the FTTH network 100 of FIG. 1, it is to beunderstood that the wireless drop terminal 126 can be implemented foruse with other types of FTTH networks and the FTTH network 100 shown inFIG. 1 can be implemented using other types of wireless drop terminals126.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the wireless drop terminal 126 includesa fiber interface 202. The fiber interface 202 provides a mechanicalinterface to connect an F2 fiber 124 to the wireless drop terminal 126.The fiber interface 202 also implements a fiber optic transceiver thatis configured to send and receive data over the F2 fiber 124. The fiberinterface 202 can also implement other protocols or functions. Asuitable optical physical layer protocol or technology can be used forcommunicating data over the FTTH network 100 to the wireless dropterminal 126 (such as GPON, XGPON, and/or GIGABIT ETHERNET protocols andtechnology).

In the example shown in FIG. 2, both management data and service dataare communicated over the F2 fiber 124 (and the FTTH network 100 moregenerally) in optical frames.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the F2 fiber 124 that is connected tothe wireless drop terminal 126 is implemented using a hybrid cable thatincludes, in addition to an optical fiber, a pair of copper conductorsor other electrically conducting element such as, for example, foils.The pair of copper conductors is used to supply power and return to thewireless drop terminal 126. In this example, the fiber interface 202 isconfigured to couple the power and return signals to a power supply 204included in the wireless drop terminal 126. The power supply 204 isconfigured to provide power and return to the active components in thewireless drop terminal 126 based on the power and return signalsprovided on the hybrid cable. In this example, power and return areinjected on the hybrid cable at FDH in which the passive optical networksplitter 128 is housed. It is to be understood, however, that thewireless drop terminal 126 can be powered in other ways (for example, byproviding a connection the mains alternating current (AC) power grid, byusing a battery, by running a separate power cable from a fiberdistribution hub, by providing power from a lamp or utility pole onwhich the wireless-drop terminal 126 is installed, and/or by using solarpower).

The wireless drop terminal 126 also comprises a wireless interface 206.In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the wireless interface 206is implemented using a chipset 208 that implements the various wirelessprotocols that are used.

In one exemplary implementation of the example shown in FIG. 2, thechipset comprises a 3G or 4G femtocell cellular base station physicallayer chipset that implements one or more 3G or 4G cellular physicallayer protocols. In another exemplary implementation of the exampleshown in FIG. 2, the wireless interface 206 is implemented using awireless local area network or wireless metropolitan area network accesspoint chipset that implements one or more WiMAX or other IEEE 802.16standards or one or more WiFi or other IEEE 802.11 standards.

In this example, the chipset 208 includes a baseband module 210 thatimplements the baseband processing necessary to implement the particularprotocols that are used. In this example, the baseband module 210implements both transmit and receive baseband processing. In thedownstream direction, the baseband module 210 receives downstreamwireless frames to be transmitted to the W-ONT 108. The baseband module210 generates the digital baseband data necessary to produce a radiofrequency (RF) waveform in accordance with the particular physical layerprotocols used that encodes the downstream wireless frames. In thisexample, this digital baseband data comprises an in-phase (I) componentand a quadrature-phase (Q) component.

In the upstream direction, the baseband module 210 receives digitalbaseband data that has been generated from an RF waveform transmittedfrom the W-ONT 108 to the wireless drop terminal 126. The basebandmodule 210 processes the received digital baseband data to extractupstream wireless frames.

The baseband module 210 can be implemented by programming a digitalsignal processor (DSP) to implement the baseband processing.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the chipset 208 also includes a RF/powermodule 212. In the downstream direction, the RF/power module 212receives transmit digital baseband data from the baseband module 210.The RF/power module 212 converts the in-phase and quadrature componentsof the transmit digital baseband data to respective analog in-phase andquadrature baseband signals. The RF/power module 212 also mixes theanalog in-phase and quadrature baseband signals with appropriatequadrature mixing signals to produce the desired transmit analog RFsignal. The RF/power module 212 bandpass filters the transmit analog RFsignal and amplifies it prior to being radiated from directional antenna132 connected to the wireless drop terminal 126.

In the upstream direction, the RF/power module 212 receives an analog RFsignal from the directional antenna 132 connected to the wireless dropterminal 126. The RF/power module 212 mixes the received analog RFsignal with appropriate quadrature mixing signals in order to produceanalog baseband in-phase and quadrature signals. The RF/power module 212bandpass filters the analog baseband in-phase and quadrature signals.The RF/power module 212 then converts the filtered analog basebandin-phase and quadrature signals to digital in-phase and quadraturebaseband data, respectively. This received digital in-phase andquadrature baseband data is provided to the baseband module 210 forbaseband processing as described above.

The chipset 208 can also include other functionality (for example, mediaaccess control (MAC) functionality) (not shown).

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the wireless drop terminal 126 furthercomprises one or more programmable processors 214 for executing software216. The software 216 comprises program instructions that are stored (orotherwise embodied) on or in an appropriate non-transitory storagemedium or media 218 (such as flash or other non-volatile memory,magnetic disc drives, and/or optical disc drives) from which at least aportion of the program instructions are read by the programmableprocessor 214 for execution thereby. Although the storage media 218 isshown in FIG. 2 as being included in, and local to, the respectivewireless drop terminal 126, it is to be understood that remote storagemedia (for example, storage media that is accessible over the network100) and/or removable media can also be used. Each wireless dropterminal 126 also includes memory 220 for storing the programinstructions (and any related data) during execution by the programmableprocessor 214. Memory 220 comprises, in one implementation, any suitableform of random access memory (RAM) now known or later developed, such asdynamic random access memory (DRAM). In other embodiments, other typesof memory are used.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the software 216 in the wireless dropterminal 126 implements the management functions supported by thewireless drop terminal 126. The software 216 sends and receivesmanagement data with the management system 130 over the F2 fiber 124.For example, the management system 130 and the software 216 can beconfigured to control the amount of bandwidth that is provided to thecustomer using the wireless drop 102. The software 216 interacts withthe wireless interface 206 (and the chipset 208 used to implement it) inorder to do this. In this way, the service provider is able to offervarious tiers of bandwidth to the customer at different rates, which canimprove the service provider's profits and/or provide customers withmore tailored service offerings.

Moreover, the software 216 in the wireless drop terminal 126encapsulates the downstream optical frames received on the fiberinterface 202 from the F2 fiber 124. The software 216 encapsulates thedownstream optical frames in downstream wireless frames and forwards thedownstream wireless frames to the wireless interface 206 for wirelesstransmission to the corresponding W-ONT 108 over the wireless drop 102.The software 216 also extracts upstream optical frames from the upstreamwireless frames received on the wireless interface 206 from the wirelessdrop 102. The software 216 forwards the upstream optical frames to thefiber interface 202 for transmission out on the F2 fiber 124.

The example shown in FIG. 2 can be implemented using a commerciallyavailable femtocell cellular base station or wireless local areanetworking physical layer chipset 208. Such chipsets 208 typically aredesigned and manufactured for sale at relatively low price points, whichenables the wireless drop terminal 126 to implement a high-bandwidthwireless drop 102 for a relatively low price. Moreover, such chipsets208 are typically implemented for use at relatively low transmissionpower levels, which reduces the amount of electrical power that isrequired to power the wireless drop terminal 126. Moreover, the use ofdirectional antennas 132 should improve the transmission performance ofsuch low-power chipsets and/or reduce the required transmission power.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of one example of a wireless optical networkterminal (W-ONT) 108 suitable for use in the FTTH network 100 shown inFIG. 1. Although the example W-ONT 108 shown in FIG. 3 is described hereas being implemented for use in the FTTH network 100 of FIG. 1, it is tobe understood that the W-ONT 108 can be implemented for use with othertypes of wireless drop terminals and FTTH networks and the FTTH network100 shown in FIG. 1 can be implemented using other types of W-ONTs 108.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the W-ONT 108 comprises a wirelessinterface 302 that is compatible with the wireless interface 206 used inthe wireless drop terminal 126. The wireless interface 302 is coupled tothe directional antenna 134 that is connected to the W-ONT 128.

In this example, the chipset 304 includes a baseband module 306 and anRF/power module 308 that implement similar functionality as isimplemented by the baseband module 210 and the RF/power module 212,respectfully, in the wireless drop terminal 126.

In one exemplary implementation of the example shown in FIG. 3, thewireless interface 302 is implemented using a 3G or 4G cellular mobileunit physical layer chipset that implements one or more 3G or 4Gcellular physical layer protocols. In another exemplary implementationof the example shown in FIG. 2, the wireless interface 302 isimplemented using a wireless local area network or wireless metropolitanarea network end device physical layer chipset that implements one ormore WiMAX or other IEEE 802.16 standards or one or more WiFi or otherIEEE 802.11 standards physical layer protocols.

The chipset 304 can also include other functionality (for example, mediaaccess control (MAC) functionality) (not shown).

The W-ONT 108 also comprises one or more service interfaces 310 thatimplement service interfaces for the particular services provided to thecustomer. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the service interfaces 310 areimplemented using a conventional PON ONT chipset 312. In this example,the optical transceiver that would typically be included in aconventional PON ONT chipset 312 is not used. The PON ONT chipset 312implements the service interface protocols that are implemented by theW-ONT 108. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the PON chipset312 includes a GIGABIT ETHERNET media access control (MAC) device 313and physical layer device 314 and one or more RJ-45 jacks 316 forproviding GIGABIT ETHERNET service to the customer (which can be usedfor Internet service, VOIP telephony service, IP video service, etc.).

Also, in this example, the PON chipset 312 includes a subscriber lineinterface circuit (SLIC)/subscriber line audio processing circuit (SLAC)device 318 and one or more RJ-11 jacks 320 for providing POTS telephonyservice to the customer. In this example, the PON chipset 312 furtherincludes a Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) MAC device 322, a MoCAphysical layer device 324, and one or more F connectors 326 forproviding video service to the customer.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the PON chipset 312 also includes awireless local area network access point 327 (for example, one or moreof the IEEE 802.11 family of standards) that provides wireless localarea network service in the customer's home 110.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the W-ONT 108 further comprises one ormore programmable processors 328 for executing software 330. Thesoftware 330 comprises program instructions that are stored (orotherwise embodied) on or in an appropriate non-transitory storagemedium or media 332 (such as flash or other non-volatile memory,magnetic disc drives, and/or optical disc drives) from which at least aportion of the program instructions are read by the programmableprocessor 328 for execution thereby. Although the storage media 332 isshown in FIG. 3 as being included in, and local to, the W-ONT 108, it isto be understood that remote storage media (for example, storage mediathat is accessible over the network 100 or the Internet) and/orremovable media can also be used. Each W-ONT 108 also includes memory334 for storing the program instructions (and any related data) duringexecution by the programmable processor 328. Memory 334 comprises, inone implementation, any suitable form of random access memory (RAM) nowknown or later developed, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM).In other embodiments, other types of memory are used.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the software 330 in the W-ONT 108implements the management functions supported by the W-ONT 108. Thesoftware 330 sends and receives management data with the managementsystem 130 over the wireless drop 102. For example, the managementsystem 130 and the software 330 can be configured to control the amountbandwidth that is provided to the customer using the wireless drop 102.The software 330 interacts with the wireless interface 302 (and thechipset 304 used to implement it) in order to do this.

Moreover, the software 330 in the W-ONT 108 extracts downstream opticalframes from the upstream wireless frames received on the wirelessinterface 302 from the wireless drop 102. The software 330 also extractsdownstream service data for each of the service interfaces 310implemented by the W-ONT 108 and provides the downstream service data tothe appropriates parts of the PON ONT chipset 312 that implement thatservice.

Furthermore, the software 330 receives upstream service data from eachof the service interfaces 310 implemented by the W-ONT 108. The upstreamservice data is received from the appropriate parts of the PON ONTchipset 312 that implement each service interface 310. The software 330combines the upstream service data and generates upstream optical framesthat include the combined upstream service data. The upstream opticalframes are generated in a format suitable for transmission on the fiberpart of the FTTH network 100. The software 330 encapsulates theseupstream optical frames in upstream wireless frames and forwards theupstream wireless frames to the wireless interface 302 for wirelesstransmission to the corresponding wireless drop terminal 126 over thewireless drop 102.

In this example, the W-ONT 108 comprises a power supply 336 forsupplying power to the active components of the W-ONT 108. Input poweris supplied to the power supply 336 via a connection to the mainsalternating current (AC) power grid. Power can be supplied to the powersupply 336 in other ways (for example, using a battery and/or a solarcell).

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of one example of a method 400 of communicatingdata from the OLT 104 to a customer home 110 using the FTTH network 100shown in FIG. 1. Although the example method 400 shown in FIG. 4 isdescribed here as being implemented in the FTTH network 100 of FIG. 1,it is to be understood that the method 400 can be implemented for usewith other types of FTTH networks, and the FTTH network 100 shown inFIG. 1 can be used to communicate data in other ways.

Method 400 comprises generating downstream optical frames for providingat least one telecommunication service to a customer's home 110 (block402). In this example, this is done as follows. Downstream managementdata and service data to be communicated to the W-ONT 108 at aparticular customer's home 110 are received at the appropriate OLT 104from the service provider's management system 130 and core network 112,respectively. The OLT 104 combines the downstream management and servicedata and generates downstream optical frames that include the managementand service data. The downstream optical frames are generated in aformat suitable for communication over the fiber part of the FTTHnetwork 100.

Method 400 further comprises transmitting the downstream optical framesfrom the OLT 104 to the relevant wireless drop terminal 126 using thefiber part of the FTTH network 100 (block 404). In this example, this isdone as follows. The OLT 104 optically transmits the downstream opticalframes on an appropriate F1 fiber 122 using the particular opticalphysical layer protocol and technology implemented in the FTTH network100 (for example, GPON, XGPON, and/or GIGABIT ETHERNET protocols andtechnology). In this example, a separate downstream optical signal istransmitted for each wireless drop terminal 126 and W-ONT 108, each ofwhich is transmitted using a different optical wavelength. In thisexample, where the FTTH network 100 is implemented as apoint-to-multipoint PON, the various downstream optical signals aremultiplexed together for communication in the downstream directionsusing wavelength division multiplexing.

The downstream optical signal travels from the OLT 104 on the respectiveF1 fiber 122 through the F1 section 116 of the FTTH network 100. Asnoted above, the F1 fiber 122 over which the downstream optical signaltravels is typically implemented using multiple different segments ofoptical fiber that are optically connected to one another. For example,as noted above, the F1 fibers 122 can be implemented using trunk cablesand branch cables.

In this example, the downstream optical signal travels from the OLT 104to a passive optical network splitter 128. At the passive opticalsplitter 128, the downstream optical signal is received from the F1fiber 122 connected to that splitter 128 and output onto one of the F2fibers 124 connected to that splitter 128. In this example, the opticaldownstream signal then travels from the passive optical splitter 128 tothe wireless drop terminal 126.

Method 400 further comprises receiving the downstream optical frames atthe wireless drop terminal 126 from the fiber part of the FTTH network100 (block 406). In this example, the fiber interface 202 in thewireless drop terminal 126 extracts the downstream optical frames fromthe downstream optical signal received at the wireless drop terminal126.

Method 400 further comprises inserting the downstream service data fromthe downstream optical frames into downstream wireless frames (block408). In this example, this is done as follows. The software 216 in thewireless drop terminal 126 processes any management data addressed to itincluded in the downstream optical frames. The software 216 alsoencapsulates the downstream optical frames (which include the downstreamservice data) in downstream wireless frames. The downstream wirelessframes are generated in a format suitable for wireless transmission overthe wireless drop 102. As noted above, the service data can be insertedinto wireless frames in other ways.

Method 400 further comprises wirelessly transmitting the downstreamwireless frames from the wireless drop terminal to the W-ONT 108 usingthe directional antenna 132 and the fixed, point-to-point wireless drop102 (block 410). In this example, this is done as follows. The software216 in the wireless drop terminal 126 provides the downstream wirelessframes to the wireless interface 206. The wireless interface 206 usesthe femtocell cellular base station physical layer chipset 208 toproduce a downstream RF signal from the downstream wireless frames. Thedownstream RF signal is radiated from the directional antenna 132attached to the wireless drop terminal 126.

Method 400 further comprises receiving the downstream wireless frames atthe W-ONT 108 (block 412). In this example, the downstream RF signal isreceived at the W-ONT 108 and the wireless interface 302 in the W-ONT108 extracts the downstream wireless frames from the received RF signal.

Method 400 further comprises providing the services implemented by theW-ONT 108 using the received downstream wireless frames (block 414). Inthis example, this is done as follows. The software 330 in the W-ONT 108extracts the downstream optical frames from the wireless frames. Thesoftware 330 also extracts the downstream service data for each of theservice interfaces 310 implemented by the W-ONT 108 and provides thedownstream service data to the appropriates parts of the PON ONT chipset312, which use the downstream service data to provide the associatedservice.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of one example of a method 500 of communicatingdata from a customer home 110 to the OLT 104 using the FTTH network 100shown in FIG. 1. Although the example method 500 shown in FIG. 5 isdescribed here as being implemented in the FTTH network 100 of FIG. 1,it is to be understood that the method 500 can be implemented for usewith other types of FTTH networks, and the FTTH network 100 shown inFIG. 1 can be used to communicate data in other ways.

Method 500 further comprises inserting the upstream service data intoupstream wireless frames (block 502). In this example, this is done asfollows. In the upstream direction, the software 330 in the W-ONT 108receives upstream service data for each of the service interfaces 310implemented by the W-ONT 108. The upstream service data is received fromthe appropriate parts of the PON ONT chipset 312 that implement eachservice. The software 330 combines the upstream service data andgenerates upstream optical frames that include the combined upstreamservice data. The upstream optical frames are generated in a format thatis suitable for transmission on the fiber part of the FTTH network 100.The software 330 in the W-ONT 108 encapsulates the upstream opticalframes (which include the upstream service data) in upstream wirelessframes and forwards the upstream wireless frames to the wirelessinterface 302. As noted above, the service data can be inserted intowireless frames in other ways.

Method 500 further comprises wirelessly transmitting the upstreamwireless frames from the W-ONT 108 to the wireless drop terminal 126using the directional antenna 134 and the fixed, point-to-point wirelessdrop 102 (block 504). In this example, this is done as follows. Thewireless interface 302 uses the cellular mobile unit physical layerchipset 304 to produce an upstream RF signal from upstream wirelessframes. The upstream RF signal is radiated from the directional antenna134 attached to the W-ONT 108.

Method 500 further comprises receiving the upstream wireless frames atthe corresponding wireless drop terminal 126 (block 506). In thisexample, this is done as follows. The upstream RF signal transmittedfrom the W-ONT 108 is received at the corresponding wireless dropterminal 126 via the directional antenna 132. The wireless interface 206in the wireless drop terminal 126 uses the femtocell cellular basestation physical layer chipset 208 to extract the upstream wirelessframes from the received upstream RF signal. The software 216 in thewireless drop terminal 126 extracts the upstream optical frames from theupstream wireless frames.

Method 500 further comprises transmitting upstream optical frames fromthe wireless drop terminal 126 to the corresponding OLT 104 using thefiber part of the FTTH network 100 (block 508). In this example, this isdone as follows. The software 216 in the wireless drop terminal 126extracts the upstream optical frames that were encapsulated into theupstream wireless frames. The software 216 in the wireless drop terminalforwards the extracted upstream optical frames to the fiber interface202 in the wireless drop terminal 126.

The fiber interface 202 optically transmits the upstream optical frameson the F2 fiber 124 connected to wireless drop terminal 126. Theupstream optical frames are optically transmitted using the particularoptical physical layer protocol and technology implemented in the FTTHnetwork 100 (for example, GPON, XGPON, and/or GIGABIT ETHERNET protocolsand technology). In this example, a separate upstream optical signal istransmitted from each wireless drop terminal 126, each of which istransmitted using a different optical wavelength.

The upstream optical signal then travels from the wireless drop terminal126 on the respective F2 fiber 124 through the F2 section 118 of theFTTH network 100. As noted above, the F2 fiber 124 over which theupstream optical signal travels is typically implemented using multipledifferent segments of optical fiber that are optically connected to oneanother. For example, as noted above, the F2 fibers 124 can beimplemented using trunk cables and branch cables.

In this example, the upstream optical signal travels from the wirelessdrop terminal 126 to a passive optical network splitter 128. At thepassive optical splitter 128, the upstream optical signal is received onone of the F2 fibers 124 connected to that splitter 128 and is outputonto the F1 fiber 122 connected to that splitter 128. In this example,the upstream optical signal then travels from the passive opticalsplitter 128 to the OLT 104 assigned to that wireless drop terminal 126.

Method 500 further comprises receiving the upstream optical frames atthe OLT 104 (block 510) and communicating upstream service dataextracted from the upstream optical frames to the core network 112 ofthe service provider (block 512). In this example, the OLT 104 extractsthe upstream optical frames from the upstream optical signal received atthe OLT 104. The OLT 104 then extracts the management data and upstreamservice data and forwards the extracted management data and upstreamservice data to the management system and core network 112,respectively.

As noted above, although the preceding examples have been describedabove in connection with a particular passive optical network (PON) FTTHnetwork, it is to be understood that the wireless drop techniquesdescribed here can be used with other types of FTTH networks. Forexample, in the example network 100 shown in FIG. 1, only a singlepassive splitter 128 is used in the optical path between the OLT 104 andthe wireless drop terminal 126 for ease of explanation; it is to beunderstood, however, that multiple passive splitters can be used (forexample, in the F1 section 116, the F2 section 118, and/or the F3section 120).

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of another example of an FTTH network 600 thatcan be used with the wireless drop techniques described here. In theexample FTTH network 600 shown in FIG. 6, the splitter 128 of FIG. 1 hasbeen replaced with one or more arrayed waveguide gratings (AWG) 628 thatare used to optically couple the F1 fibers 122 in the F1 section 116 tothe F2 fibers 124 in the F2 section 118 of the network 600. In general,the wireless drops 102 shown in FIG. 6 are configured and operate asdescribed above in connection with the example shown in FIG. 1. In thisexample, each WDT 126 sends and receives optical frames on a separateoptical wavelength, and each AWG 628 acts as a wavelength-divisionmultiplexer and de-multiplexer.

Moreover, the wireless drop techniques described here can be used withETHERNET PON (EPON) FTTH networks. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of oneexample of an EPON FTTH network 700 that can be used with the wirelessdrop techniques described here. In general, the wireless drops 102 shownin FIG. 7 are configured and operate as described above in connectionwith the example shown in FIG. 1.

Also, in the examples described above, each WDT 126 communicates with asingle W-ONT 108 over a respective point-to-point wireless drop 102.However, in other examples, each WDT can communicate with more than oneW-ONT (that is, the wireless drop can be implemented in apoint-to-multipoint a manner). FIG. 8 is a block diagram of one exampleof such a FTTH network 800. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the dropsection 820 of the network 800 is implemented so that each WDT 826communicates with multiple W-ONTs 808 over a respectivepoint-to-multipoint wireless drop 802. In this example, W-ONTs 808 (orat least the directional antennas 834 connected thereto) thatcommunicate with a given WDT 826 and directional antennas 832 over agiven wireless drop 802 are spaced sufficiently close together so as tobe within the coverage area of the directional antenna 832.

Moreover, in the examples described above, each WDT 126 and each W-ONT108 is shown as using only a single antenna 132 and 134 forcommunicating over the corresponding wireless drop 102. However, inother embodiments, the wireless drop terminals and/or W-ONTs use morethan one antenna for communicating over the corresponding wirelessdrops. In such embodiments, MIMO and beam forming techniques can beused. FIG. 9 is a block diagram of one example of such a FTTH network900. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the drop section 920 of the network900 is implemented so that each wireless drop terminal 926 communicateswith multiple W-ONTs 908 over a respective point-to-multipoint wirelessdrop 902 using multiple antennas 932. In this example, each W-ONT 908uses multiple directional antennas 934 that communicate with a given WDT926 and its associated directional antennas 932 over a given wirelessdrop 902 using MIMO technology (for example, using one or more WiMAX orother IEEE 802.16 standards or one or more WiFi or other IEEE 802.11standards (such as the IEEE 802.11n or 802.11ac standards)). Also, it isto be understood that beam forming techniques can be used. In thisexample, each wireless drop 902 is directional because at least thewireless interface and antennas 934 of the corresponding W-ONT 908 areconfigured to communicate more effectively in the direction between thatW-ONT 908 and the corresponding WDT 926. Also, if beam forming is used,beam forming can be used to implement such directionality.

One exemplary implementation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 isimplemented using an IEEE 802.11n chipset, where the media accesscontrol (MAC) portion of the chipset implements standard IEEE 802.11nMAC protocols but where the physical layer (PHY) portion of the chipsetdeviates from the IEEE 802.11n protocols in that licensed radiofrequency spectrum is used instead of unlicensed radio frequencyspectrum (as is the case with standard IEEE 802.11n). In such animplementation, because licensed RF spectrum is used, it is possible toguarantee performance with a higher Equivalent Isotropically RadiatedPower (EIRP) allowance and much less interference (than with usingunlicensed RF spectrum).

The expected data rates (in megabits per second (Mbps)) for such animplementation transmitting at a frequency of 3.5 GigaHertz at distancesin the range of 50 meters (m) to 300 meters with transmit powers in therange of 3 milliwatts (mW) to 24 milliwatts are shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Transmit Power 50 m 100 m 200 m 300 m  8 mW 100 Mbps 65 Mbps 30Mbps 18 Mbps 16 mW 120 Mbps 80 Mbps 45 Mbps 30 Mbps 65 mW 160 Mbps 120Mbps  82 Mbps 60 Mbps

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of one example of a wireless drop terminalsuitable 926 for use in the FTTH network shown in FIG. 9. The elementsof the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 10 that are similar tocorresponding elements of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2 arereferenced in FIG. 10 using the same reference numerals used in FIG. 2.Except as described below, the description of such similar elements setforth above in connection with the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2applies to the corresponding elements of the exemplary embodiment shownin FIG. 10 but generally will not be repeated in connection with FIG. 10for the sake of brevity.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 10, a single wirelessinterface 1006 is used to communicate with the corresponding W-ONTs 908using the multiple antennas 932. In this example, the wireless interface1006 is implemented using a chipset 1008 that implements the variouswireless protocols that are used (including, for example, MIMO and, ifused, beam forming protocols and techniques).

In one exemplary implementation of the example shown in FIG. 10, thechipset 1008 comprises a 3G or 4G femtocell cellular base stationphysical layer chipset that implements one or more 3G or 4G cellularphysical layer protocols. In another exemplary implementation of theexample shown in FIG. 10, the wireless interface 1006 is implementedusing a wireless metropolitan area network or wireless local areanetwork access point chipset that implements one or more WiMAX or otherIEEE 802.16 standards or one or more WiFi or other IEEE 802.11standards.

In this example, the chipset 1008 includes a baseband module 1010 thatimplements the baseband processing necessary to implement the particularprotocols that are used (including baseband MIMO processing). In thisexample, the baseband module 1010 implements both transmit and receivebaseband processing for the signals that are transmitted and received byall of the antennas 932 that are used by that wireless drop terminal926. The baseband module 1010 can be implemented by programming adigital signal processor (DSP) to implement the baseband processing.

In the example shown in FIG. 10, the chipset 1008 also includes aRF/power module 1012 that performs the frequency conversion, filtering,and amplifying for the RF signals that are transmitted and received byall of the antennas 932 used by that wireless drop terminal 926. In oneimplementation where beam forming is used, at least a portion of thebeam forming processing is performed in the RF/power module 1012 (forexample, processing that controls the phase and relative amplitude ofeach signal that is transmitted from the antennas 932).

The chipset 1008 also includes other functionality (for example, mediaaccess control (MAC) functionality) (not shown).

It is to be understood, however, that each wireless drop terminal 926shown in FIG. 9 can be implemented in other ways.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of one example of a wireless optical networkterminal (W-ONT) 908 suitable for use in the FTTH network shown in FIG.9. The elements of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 11 that aresimilar to corresponding elements of the exemplary embodiment shown inFIG. 3 are referenced in FIG. 11 using the same reference numerals usedin FIG. 3. Except as described below, the description of such similarelements set forth above in connection with the exemplary embodimentshown in FIG. 3 applies to the corresponding elements of the exemplaryembodiment shown in FIG. 11 but generally will not be repeated inconnection with FIG. 11 for the sake of brevity.

In this example, a single wireless interface 1102 is used to communicatewith the corresponding WDT 926 using the multiple antennas 934 connectedto that W-ONT 908.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the wireless interface1102 is implemented using a chipset 1104 that implements the variouswireless protocols that are used (including MIMO and, if used, beamforming protocols and techniques). Also, the wireless interface 1102 iscompatible with the wireless interface 1006 used in the wireless dropterminal 126. In this example, the chipset 1104 includes a basebandmodule 1106 and an RF/power module 1108 that implement similarfunctionality as is implemented by the baseband module 1010 and theRF/power module 1012, respectfully, in the wireless drop terminal 1026(including MIMO and, if used, beam forming protocols and techniques).

In one exemplary implementation of the example shown in FIG. 11, thewireless interface 1102 is implemented using a 3G or 4G cellular mobileunit chipset 1104 that implements one or more 3G or 4G cellularprotocols. In another exemplary implementation of the example shown inFIG. 11, the wireless interface 1102 is implemented using a wirelessmetropolitan area network or wireless local area network physical layerend device chipset that implements one or more WiMAX or other IEEE802.16 standards or one or more WiFi or other IEEE 802.11 standardsprotocols.

The chipset 1104 also includes other functionality (for example, mediaaccess control (MAC) functionality) (not shown).

It is to be understood, however, that each W-ONT 908 shown in FIG. 9 canbe implemented in other ways.

As noted above, in the example shown in FIG. 9, each WDT 926 and eachW-ONT 108 use multiple antennas 932 and 934 to communicate over thecorresponding wireless drops 902. In the exemplary embodiment of a FTTHnetwork 1200 shown in FIG. 12, the drop section 1220 of the network 1200is implemented so that each WDT 1226 communicates with multiple W-ONTs1208 over a respective point-to-multipoint wireless drop 1202 usingmultiple antennas 1232. However, in this example (unlike in the exampleshown in FIG. 9), each W-ONT 1208 uses a single directional antenna 1234to communicate with the corresponding WDT 1226 and its associateddirectional antennas 1232 over a given wireless drop 1202.

In this example, beam forming is used at each WDT 1226 to, at least inpart, implement the directionality of each fixed directional wirelessdrop 1202. Each WDT 1226 can be implemented in a similar manner as isshown in FIG. 10, and each W-ONT 1208 can be implemented in a similarmanner as is shown in FIG. 3.

In the examples described above, relevant baseband processing isperformed in each wireless drop terminal. However, such basebandprocessing can occur elsewhere in the network. For example, aradio-over-fiber (RoF) architecture can be used in which basebandprocessing does not occur in each WDT but instead occurs in a morecentralized location (for example, in the central office). One suchexample is shown in FIG. 13.

In the exemplary embodiment of an FTTH network 1300 shown in FIG. 13,baseband processing is performed in the central office 1306 (forexample, in a baseband module 1340). The elements of the exemplaryembodiment shown in FIG. 13 that are similar to corresponding elementsof the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are referenced in FIG. 13using the same reference numerals used in FIG. 1. Except as describedbelow, the description of such similar elements set forth above inconnection with the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 applies to thecorresponding elements of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 13 butgenerally will not be repeated in connection with FIG. 13 for the sakeof brevity.

For each WDT 1326, the baseband module 1340 performs the basebandprocessing for the RF signals transmitted from and received by that WDT1326 over a corresponding wireless drop 102.

For each WDT 1326, in the downstream direction, the baseband module 1340receives downstream wireless frames to be transmitted to the W-ONT 108serviced by that WDT 1326. The baseband module 1340 generates a basebandsignal that can be used to produce a radio frequency (RF) signal by upconverting it to the appropriate frequency range. However, in thisexample, the baseband signal is output by the baseband module 1340 andsupplied as an input to a frequency converter 1342. The frequencyconverter 1342 converts the frequency of the baseband signal to afrequency suitable for communication over the fibers 122 and 124 in thenetwork 1300. A suitable electrical-to-optical interface 1344 is usedtransmit the frequency-converted baseband signal on the fiber 122.

At each WDT 1326, the downstream optical signal (which includes thefrequency-converted downstream baseband signal) is received andconverted to an electrical signal by a suitable optical-to-electricalinterface 1346. The electrical version of the received downstreamfrequency-converted baseband signal that is output by the 0/E interface1346 is supplied to a frequency converter 1348, which up converts thesignal to the desired RF frequency. An RF module 1350 then filters andamplifies the RF signal as needed and then radiates the resultingdownstream RF signal from the antenna 132.

In the upstream direction, each W-ONT 1308 receives an upstream RFsignal, which is filtered by the RF module 1350 and the frequencyconverter 1348 converts the frequency of the signal to a frequencysuitable for communication over the fibers 124 and 122 in the network1300. A suitable electrical-to-optical interface 1352 is used totransmit the frequency-converted upstream signal on the fiber 124.

At the central office 1306, each upstream optical signal (which includesthe frequency-converted upstream signal) is received and converted to anelectrical signal by a suitable optical-to-electrical interface 1354.The electrical version of the received upstream frequency-convertedsignal output by the 0/E interface 1354 is supplied to the frequencyconverter 1342, which converts the signal to baseband. The basebandmodule 1340 receives the upstream baseband signal output by thefrequency converter 1342 and processes the received upstream basebandsignal to extract upstream wireless frames.

In this way, each WDT 1326 need not perform baseband processing, whichcan be performed in a more centralized location in the network 1300.

A number of examples have been described. Nevertheless, it will beunderstood that various modifications to the described examples may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimedinvention. Accordingly, other examples and embodiments are within thescope of the following claims.

Example Embodiments

Example 1 includes a wireless drop terminal (WDT) for use in afiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network, the wireless drop terminal comprising:a fiber interface to optically couple the wireless drop terminal to anoptical line terminal (OLT) of the FTTH network via at least one opticalfiber; and a wireless interface communicatively coupled to the fiberinterface, wherein the wireless interface is configured to wirelesslycommunicate with a wireless optical network terminal (W-ONT) over afixed directional wireless drop.

Example 2 includes the wireless drop terminal of Example 1, wherein afirst antenna is connected to the wireless drop terminal; wherein thewireless drop terminal is configured to wirelessly communicate with theW-ONT over the fixed directional wireless drop using the first antenna;and wherein the first antenna comprises a first directional antenna.

Example 3 includes the wireless drop terminal of Example 2, wherein thewireless drop terminal is configured to wirelessly communicate with theW-ONT over the fixed directional wireless drop using the first antennaand a second antenna connected to the W-ONT; and wherein the secondantenna comprises a second directional antenna.

Example 4 includes the wireless drop terminal of any of the Examples1-3, wherein a first plurality of antennas are connected to the wirelessdrop terminal, wherein the fixed directional wireless drop isimplemented using the first plurality of antennas.

Example 5 includes the wireless drop terminal of Example 4, wherein thefirst plurality of antennas is used to implement the fixed directionalwireless drop using beam forming.

Example 6 includes the wireless drop terminal of any of the Examples4-5, wherein a second plurality of antennas are connected to the W-ONT,wherein the fixed directional wireless drop is implemented using thefirst plurality of antennas and the second plurality of antennas using aMultiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) wireless link.

Example 7 includes the wireless drop terminal of any of the Examples1-6, wherein the fixed directional wireless drop comprises one of afixed point-to-point wireless drop and a fixed point-to-multipointwireless drop.

Example 8 includes the wireless drop terminal of any of the Examples1-7, further comprising at least one of a femtocell chipset towirelessly communicate with the W-ONT, a wireless local area networkchipset to wirelessly communicate with the W-ONT; and a wirelessmetropolitan area network chipset to wirelessly communicate with theW-ONT.

Example 9 includes the wireless drop terminal of any of the Examples1-8, wherein the FTTH network comprises a passive optical network (PON),wherein the wireless drop terminal is configured to communicate over thepassive optical network.

Example 10 includes the wireless drop terminal of Example 9, wherein thewireless drop terminal is optically coupled, via at least one splitter,to an optical line terminal (OLT) included in the FTTH network to couplethe FTTH network to a core network.

Example 11 includes the wireless drop terminal of any of the Examples1-10, wherein the wireless drop terminal is configured to be powered bypower provided over a hybrid fiber cable that is connected to thewireless drop terminal.

Example 12 includes the wireless drop terminal of any of the Examples1-11, wherein the wireless drop terminal is configured to be powered byat least one of power provided from a connection to a mains alternatingcurrent (AC) power grid, power provided from a battery, power providedfrom a separate power cable connected to a fiber distribution hub, powerprovided from a lamp or utility pole on which the wireless-drop terminalis installed, and power provided using solar power.

Example 13 includes the wireless drop terminal of any of the Examples1-12, wherein the wireless drop terminal is configured to wirelesslycommunicate with the W-ONT using at least one of: a 3G communicationprotocol, a 4G communication protocol, a High Speed Packet Access (HSPA)cellular protocol, an Evolved HSPA (HSPA+) cellular protocol, a LongTerm Evolution (LTE) cellular protocol, a LTE Advanced (LTEadvanced)cellular protocol, a WIMAX or other Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 wireless protocol, a WIFI or otherIEEE 802.11 wireless protocol, Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO)technology, beam forming, WirelessHD wireless technology, Wireless HomeDigital Interface (WHDI) wireless technology, ultra wideband (UWB)wireless technology, visible light communication wireless technology,and proprietary point-to-point wireless technology.

Example 14 includes the wireless drop terminal of any of the Examples1-13, wherein the wireless drop terminal is configured to wirelesslycommunicate with the W-ONT using a WIFI or other IEEE 802.11 wirelessprotocol using licensed radio frequency spectrum.

Example 15 includes the wireless drop terminal of any of the Examples1-14, wherein the wireless drop terminal is configured to receivedownstream optical frames at the wireless drop terminal, insert servicedata from the downstream optical frames into downstream wireless frames,and wirelessly transmit the downstream wireless frames to the W-ONT;wherein the W-ONT is configured to receive the downstream wirelessframes and provide at least one service using the received downstreamwireless frames; wherein the W-ONT is configured to insert upstreamservice data into upstream wireless frames and wirelessly transmit theupstream wireless frames to the wireless drop terminal; and wherein thewireless drop terminal is configured to receive the upstream wirelessframes and transmit upstream optical frames to the optical line terminalof the FTTH network, wherein the upstream optical frames include theupstream service data inserted into the upstream wireless frames.

Example 16 includes the wireless drop terminal of any of the Examples1-15, wherein the FTTH network comprises a radio-over-fiber (RoF)architecture and the wireless drop terminal is configured to communicateover the RoF architecture.

Example 17 includes a wireless optical network terminal (W-ONT) for usein a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network, the W-ONT comprising: a wirelessinterface; and at least one service interface to implement a serviceprovided to customer premises equipment (CPE); wherein the wirelessinterface is configured to wirelessly communicate with a wireless dropterminal (WDT) included in the FTTH network over a fixed directionalwireless drop.

Example 18 includes the W-ONT of Example 17, wherein the wirelessinterface is implemented using at least one of a cellular mobile unitchipset, a wireless local area network chipset, and a wirelessmetropolitan area network chipset.

Example 19 includes the W-ONT of any of the Examples 17-18, wherein theservice interface comprises at least one of an ETHERNET serviceinterface, a POTS telephony service interface, a wireless local areanetwork service interface, and a video service interface.

Example 20 includes the W-ONT of Example 19, wherein the ETHERNETservice interface comprises a Gigabit ETHERNET service interface.

Example 21 includes the W-ONT of any of the Examples 17-20, wherein theservice interface is implemented using at least a portion of aconventional optical network terminal chipset.

Example 22 includes a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network comprising: anoptical line terminal (OLT) to couple the FTTH network to a corenetwork; a wireless drop terminal (WDT) that is optically coupled to theOLT via at least one optical fiber; and a wireless optical networkterminal (W-ONT) to provide a service to customer premises equipment(CPE); and wherein the wireless drop terminal and the W-ONT areconfigured to wirelessly communicate with one another over a fixeddirectional wireless drop.

Example 23 includes the FTTH network of Example 22, wherein the FTTHnetwork comprises at least one of a Gigabit-capable Passive OpticalNetwork (GPON), a Ten-Gigabit-capable Passive Optical Network (XGPON),and an ETHERNET Passive Optical Network (EPON).

Example 24 includes the FTTH network of any of the Examples 22-23,wherein the FTTH network comprises a radio-over-fiber (RoF)architecture.

Example 25 includes a method of communicating using a fiber-to-the-home(FTTH) network, the method comprising: transmitting downstream opticalframes from an optical line terminal (OLT) in the FTTH network to awireless drop terminal (WDT) in the FTTH network using a fiber part ofthe FTTH network; receiving the downstream optical frames at thewireless drop terminal from the fiber part of the FTTH network;inserting service data from the downstream optical frames intodownstream wireless frames; wirelessly transmitting the downstreamwireless frames from the wireless drop terminal to a wireless opticalnetwork terminal (W-ONT) over a fixed directional wireless drop;receiving the downstream wireless frames at the wireless optical networkterminal; and providing at least one service implemented by the wirelessoptical network terminal using the received downstream wireless frames.

Example 26 includes the method of Example 25, further comprising:inserting upstream service data into upstream wireless frames;wirelessly transmitting the upstream wireless frames from the wirelessoptical network terminal to the wireless drop terminal over the fixeddirectional wireless drop; receiving the upstream wireless frames at thewireless drop terminal; transmitting upstream optical frames from thewireless drop terminal to the optical line terminal using the fiber partof the FTTH network, wherein the upstream optical frames include theupstream service data inserted into the upstream wireless frames;receiving the upstream optical frames at the optical line terminal; andcommunicating the upstream service data extracted from the upstreamoptical frames to a core network.

PARTS LIST

-   fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network 100-   wireless drop 102-   optical line terminal (OLT) 104-   central office 106-   wireless optical network terminal (W-ONT) 108-   customer home 110-   service provider core network 112-   customer premises equipment (CPE) 114-   feeder section/F1 section 116-   distribution section/F2 section 118-   drop section/F3 section 120-   feeder optical fiber/F1 fiber 122-   distribution optical fiber/F2 fiber 124-   wireless drop terminal (WDT) 126-   passive optical splitter 128-   management system 130-   directional antenna 132-   directional antenna 134-   fiber interface 202-   power supply 204-   wireless interface 206-   chipset 208-   baseband module 210-   RF/power module 212-   programmable processor 214-   software 216-   storage media 218-   memory 220-   wireless interface 302-   chipset 304-   baseband module 306-   RF/power module 308-   service interfaces 310-   passive optical network (PON) optical network terminal (ONT) chipset    312-   GIGABIT ETHERNET media access control (MAC) device 313-   physical layer device 314-   RJ-45 jacks 316-   subscriber line interface circuit (SLIC)/subscriber line audio    processing circuit (SLAC) device 318-   RJ-11 jacks 320-   Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) MAC device 322-   Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) physical layer device 324-   F connectors 326-   wireless local area network access point 327-   programmable processor 328-   software 330-   storage media 332-   memory 334-   power supply 336-   method 400-   method 500-   fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network 600-   arrayed waveguide gratings (AWG) 628-   ETHERNET PON (EPON) fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network 700-   fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network 800-   point-to-multipoint wireless drop 802-   wireless optical network terminal (W-ONT) 808-   drop section/F3 section 820-   wireless drop terminal (WDT) 826-   directional antennas 832-   directional antennas 834-   fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network 900-   point-to-multipoint wireless drop 902-   wireless optical network terminal (W-ONT) 908-   drop section/F3 section 920-   wireless drop terminal (WDT) 926-   multiple antennas 932-   multiple directional antennas 934-   single wireless interface 1006-   chipset 1008-   baseband module 1010-   RF/power module 1012-   single wireless interface 1102-   chipset 1104-   baseband module 1106-   RF/power module 1108-   fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network 1200-   point-to-multipoint wireless drop 1202-   wireless optical network terminal (W-ONT) 1208-   drop section/F3 section 1220-   wireless drop terminal (WDT) 1226-   multiple antennas 1232-   directional antenna 1234-   fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network 1300-   central office 1306-   feeder section/F1 section 1316-   distribution section/F2 section 1318-   drop section/F3 section 1320-   wireless drop terminal (WDT) 1326-   baseband module 1340-   frequency converter 1342-   electrical-to-optical (E/O) interface 1344-   optical-to-electrical (O/E) interface 1346-   frequency converter 1348-   RF module 1350-   electrical-to-optical (E/O) interface 1352-   optical-to-electrical (O/E) interface 1354

What is claimed:
 1. A wireless drop terminal (WDT) for use in afiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network, the wireless drop terminal comprising:a fiber interface to optically couple the wireless drop terminal to anoptical line terminal (OLT) of the FTTH network via at least one opticalfiber; and a wireless interface communicatively coupled to the fiberinterface, wherein the wireless interface is configured by a managementsystem to: convert received optical communications signals to a wirelesscommunication protocol; and wirelessly communicate the convertedcommunications signals with a wireless optical network terminal (W-ONT)over a fixed directional wireless drop.
 2. The wireless drop terminal ofclaim 1, wherein the management system controls the wireless interfaceto vary an amount of bandwidth provided to the W-ONT.
 3. The wirelessdrop terminal of claim 1, further comprising: a processor incommunication with the management system via the at least one opticalfiber.
 4. The wireless drop terminal of claim 1, wherein the processoris configured to implement a management function, wherein the managementfunction sends management data to the management system and receivesmanagement data from the management system.
 5. The wireless dropterminal of claim 4, wherein management data is further communicatedwith the W-ONT.
 6. The wireless drop terminal of claim 1, wherein thewireless communication protocol comprises at least one of: a 3Gcommunication protocol, a 4G communication protocol, a High Speed PacketAccess (HSPA) cellular protocol, an Evolved HSPA (HSPA+) cellularprotocol, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular protocol, a LTE Advanced(LTEadvanced) cellular protocol, a WIMAX or other Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 wireless protocol, aWIFI or other IEEE 802.11 wireless protocol, Multiple-Input,Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology, beam forming, WirelessHD wirelesstechnology, Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI) wireless technology,ultra wideband (UWB) wireless technology, visible light communicationwireless technology, and proprietary point-to-point wireless technology.7. The wireless drop terminal of claim 1, wherein a first antenna and asecond antenna are connected to the wireless drop terminal, wherein thewireless drop terminal communicates with the W-ONT over the firstantenna and the second antenna using Multiple-Input, Multiple Output(MIMO) wireless communication technology.
 8. The wireless drop terminalof claim 1, wherein a first antenna and a second antenna are connectedto the wireless drop terminal, wherein the wireless drop terminalselectively communicates with the W-ONT and at least one other W-ONTover the first antenna and the second antenna using beam forming.
 9. Thewireless drop terminal of claim 1, wherein the wireless drop terminal isconfigured to be powered by power provided over a hybrid fiber cablethat is connected to the wireless drop terminal.
 10. A method for awireless drop terminal of a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network, the methodcomprising: receiving downstream optical frames from an optical lineterminal (OLT) in the FTTH network at a wireless drop terminal (WDT) inthe FTTH network using a fiber part of the FTTH network; at a wirelessinterface of the wireless drop terminal, converting received opticalcommunications signals to a wireless communication protocol, wherein thewireless interface is configured by a management system; and wirelesslycommunicating the converted communications signals with a wirelessoptical network terminal (W-ONT) as downstream service data over a fixeddirectional wireless drop.
 11. The method of claim 10, furthercomprising: receiving upstream service data from the W-ONT over thefixed directional wireless drop; at the wireless interface of thewireless drop terminal, converting received wireless communicationssignals from the wireless communication protocol to upstream opticalframes; transmitting the upstream optical frames from the wireless dropterminal to the optical line terminal using the fiber part of the FTTHnetwork.
 12. The method of claim 10, further comprising: varying anamount of bandwidth provided by the W-ONT based on management data fromthe management system.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the wirelessdrop terminal is configured to implement a management function, whereinthe management function sends and receives management data with themanagement system.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the managementfunction sends management data to the management system via the fiberpart of the FTTH network and receives management data from themanagement system via the fiber part of the FTTH network.
 15. The methodof claim 14, wherein management data is further communicated with theW-ONT.
 16. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless communicationprotocol comprises at least one of: a 3G communication protocol, a 4Gcommunication protocol, a High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) cellularprotocol, an Evolved HSPA (HSPA+) cellular protocol, a Long TermEvolution (LTE) cellular protocol, a LTE Advanced (LTEadvanced) cellularprotocol, a WIMAX or other Institute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers (IEEE) 802.16 wireless protocol, a WIFI or other IEEE 802.11wireless protocol, Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology,beam forming, WirelessHD wireless technology, Wireless Home DigitalInterface (WHDI) wireless technology, ultra wideband (UWB) wirelesstechnology, visible light communication wireless technology, andproprietary point-to-point wireless technology.
 17. The method of claim10, wherein a first antenna and a second antenna are connected to thewireless drop terminal, the method further comprising: communicatingwith the W-ONT over the first antenna and the second antenna usingMultiple-Input, Multiple Output (MIMO) wireless communicationtechnology.
 18. The method of claim 10, wherein a first antenna and asecond antenna are connected to the wireless drop terminal, the methodfurther comprising: selectively communicating with the W-ONT and atleast one other W-ONT over the first antenna and the second antennausing beam forming.
 19. The method of claim 10, further comprising:powering the wireless drop terminal utilizing power provided over ahybrid fiber cable that is connected to the wireless drop terminal. 20.The method of claim 10, wherein the W-ONT is located at a customerpremises, and wherein the wireless drop terminal is located outside ofthe customer premises